Caught in the Act

The sun is peaking over the Ozark mountains, a welcoming sight after the hot, humid day they've had. The two wearily detectives trudge through the station house doors with defeat etched across their faces. They know the Sergeant isn't going to be happy with their news, but they've searched for their suspect for the better part of the night and aren't sure where to look. They've even put out an APB and alerted public transportation if Jackie attempts to flee.

Stepping up to the Sergeant's desk, Jerry clears his throat and timidly begins. "I have some bad news, boss," he says, a decibel louder than a whisper.

Joe glances up from his desk to find his two detectives in front of him, empty-handed. He'd already figured as much. "You couldn't find our suspect. I take it?"

Jerry looks over and his partner. Turning toward his boss with a stricken face, he says, "No, sir. She wasn't at home, and she hadn't been to work in days. We checked with her friends and neighbors, but they haven't seen her in weeks."

"Did you...?"

"I have patrol sitting on her house, and her work and I put an APB out on her car. The cab company, bus station, and airport know to be on the lookout for the girl."

Joe raises his brow. "I'm impressed. Work like that is why I chose you to be my right-hand man." He turns towards Jeff and says, "You can learn a lot from this guy."

Jeff looks over at his partner. With a gleam in his eyes, he says. "I already have."

Jerry nods. "Thank you for saying so, boss, Jeff."

Rachel glances up from her desk. "I was looking into Ava's history and discovered she has a twin."

Joe scratches his head. "And?"

"Her sister's DNA would be the same, right?"

"It would if they were identical, but none of that matters because the wig, cane, and dress were in Ava's things."

"What if her twin put those things there to frame her the way Ava claims?"

"That'd be possible if it weren't for Ava's fingerprints on the cane?"

"Sharon found prints?" Rachel asks, shocked by the news.

"Hers and Jackie Harris were on the handle." Joe runs his fingers through his thinning hair, trying to conjure up a plan. It's one of Joe's many signature moves.

"What are you thinking, boss?" Jerry asks.

"What if we use her sister to our advantage?"

"How are we going to do that?" Rachel asks.

"Maybe she can get her twin to confess."

"It's worth a try, boss."

Rachel glances at her screen. "There's one problem with your idea, Joe."

"What's that?"

"She lives in Missouri."

"It looks like we're going on a road trip then."

***

The sun rises high into the clear eastern sky as the two women drive back in silence. Both are physically and emotionally exhausted after a long strenuous night.

"We did very well tonight," Jackie says, leaning her head against the window. The cool glass feels so good pressed against her hot face. Jackie admires the beautiful sunrise over the horizon. Its vast array of oranges, reds, and gold above the mountain tops is breathtaking. "Beautiful mornings like this are why I stay," she sighs.

"It is lovely," Granny offhandedly agrees, lost in her own thoughts. I think we should move out of this town after tonight." Noticing the look on Jacie's face, she adds. "We've been lucky, going on as long as we have without a single hitch, but I'd rather not push our success too hard. What do you think?"

Jackie shrugs. "You're the boss." She turns in her seat and asks, "Where are we going next?"

Granny thinks a second and says, "I'm going to Vegas since that's where all the drunks seem to migrate to." Granny searched the internet and found that Las Vegas Dui arrests are three times above the national average.

"You mean we are, right?" she anxiously inquires.

"I figured you'd be bored with our little escapade by now."

"How could I ever get tired of doing something I know is for the greater good? Besides, I like hanging with you."

"What about your social life?"

Jackie snorts, rolls her eyes, and says, "It's nearly non-existent anyway."

Granny thinks about Jackie's offer. We could take care of a lot more together, and it wouldn't be so taxing on me if I had her help. Granny recalls a few recent events. Some of the stuff she does is bound to get us caught.

"With your plans and my love for revenge, we can wipe out all the Vegas drunks. Maybe we can hit a few casinos in between."

She's right, we could, but do I want to take a chance of getting caught over my greed? I'll have to keep a closer eye on her and make sure she doesn't do anything foolish again.

Granny sees an unfamiliar car parked in front of Jackie's building as she cruises further down the block. She gives the car a quick once over to ensure her suspicions are correct. That's the cops, alright. Pressing on her brakes, Granny eases the car towards the curb. The police figured it out a lot quicker than I thought. She glances over at Jackie, who's still chatting away. I have two choices; I can drop her off or keep driving and hope for the best. The brakes squeak when she comes to a complete stop.

Jackie jolts forward. She turns toward Granny and asks, "What are you stopping so far back?"

Granny starts to explain when another thought comes to mind. What if she says something that'll exonerate Ava? Granny had worked for over a year planning every detail out. She wanted to ensure that her lying, backstabbing, husband stealing twin would pay, and she sure doesn't want to mess it up now. She replays their conversations in her head. I don't think I said anything incriminating, but I can't be entirely sure. She glances at Jackie again. She'll get us caught if I keep her on unless I watch her like a hawk. So do I take a chance of us getting caught or her blabbing to the police? I could take care of her like I do my victims. I could set it up to make it look like a murder gone bad. Kill two birds with one stone, so they say. Picturing the scenario in her head, she smiles. Pain deep in her heart replaces her happiness. Granny eyes her loud, chunky partner again. She's become like one of my own.

"Why did you pull over?" Jackie asks.

"Get down on the floorboard, now."

"Why?" she questions.

"Just do it, alright."

Jackie scrunches her plump body down as far as it can go.

"You'll have more room if you move the seat."

Finding the handle, Jackie does as she's told.

"Better?"

"Much better," Jackie says, stretching out a bit. "What's this all about anyway?"

"You have two undercovers outside your door."

Jackie's face turns pale. "Undercovers as in cops?"

"I'm afraid so."

Jackie nervously looks up at her partner. She gulps and asks, "What are we going to do?"

"We need to get out of town." Throwing the car in gear, Granny starts to drive away. A whoop whoop behind her stops her in her tracks. She glances in her rearview mirror to find an officer coming up alongside her. Please don't let them pull me over. Oh, please don't let them pull me over. She silently begs.